| |
| UNFERTH spake, the son of Ecglaf, | |
| who sat at the feet of the Scyldings’ lord, | |
| unbound the battle-runes. 1—Beowulf’s quest, | |
| sturdy seafarer’s, sorely galled him; | |
| ever he envied that other men | 5 |
| should more achieve in middle-earth | |
| of fame under heaven than he himself.— | |
| “Art thou that Beowulf, Breca’s rival, | |
| who emulous swam on the open sea, | |
| when for pride the pair of you proved the floods, | 10 |
| and wantonly dared in waters deep | |
| to risk your lives? No living man, | |
| or lief or loath, from your labor dire | |
| could you dissuade, from swimming the main. | |
| Ocean-tides with your arms ye covered, | 15 |
| with strenuous hands the sea-streets measured, | |
| swam o’er the waters. Winter’s storm | |
| rolled the rough waves. In realm of sea | |
| a sennight strove ye. In swimming he topped thee, | |
| had more of main! Him at morning-tide | 20 |
| billows bore to the Battling Reamas, | |
| whence he hied to his home so dear, | |
| beloved of his liegemen, to land of Brondings, | |
| fastness fair, where his folk he ruled, | |
| town and treasure. In triumph o’er thee | 25 |
| Beanstan’s bairn 2 his boast achieved. | |
| So ween I for thee a worse adventure | |
| —though in buffet of battle thou brave hast been, | |
| in struggle grim,—if Grendel’s approach | |
| thou darst await through the watch of night!” | 30 |
| |
| Beowulf spake, bairn of Ecgtheow:— | |
| “What a deal hast uttered, dear my Unferth, | |
| drunken with beer, of Breca now, | |
| told of his triumph! Truth I claim it, | |
| that I had more of might in the sea | 35 |
| than any man else, more ocean-endurance. | |
| We twain had talked, in time of youth, | |
| and made our boast,—we were merely boys, | |
| striplings still,—to stake our lives | |
| far at sea: and so we performed it. | 40 |
| Naked swords, as we swam along, | |
| we held in hand, with hope to guard us | |
| against the whales. Not a whit from me | |
| could he float afar o’er the flood of waves, | |
| haste o’er the billows; nor him I abandoned. | 45 |
| Together we twain on the tides abode | |
| five nights full till the flood divided us, | |
| churning waves and chillest weather, | |
| darkling night, and the northern wind | |
| ruthless rushed on us: rough was the surge. | 50 |
| Now the wrath of the sea-fish rose apace; | |
| yet me ’gainst the monsters my mailéd coat, | |
| hard and hand-linked, help afforded,— | |
| battle-sark braided my breast to ward, | |
| garnished with gold. There grasped me firm | 55 |
| and haled me to bottom the hated foe, | |
| with grimmest gripe. ’Twas granted me, though, | |
| to pierce the monster with point of sword, | |
| with blade of battle: huge beast of the sea | |
| was whelmed by the hurly through hand of mine. | 60 |
